Patient Care. Dedication. Quality.

Prosthetic Leg – Prosthetics in Westmont & Downers Grove, IL

Do you need to find a reliable company for prosthetic service?

Or, perhaps, you might have a loved one that is in need of this kind of service?

Finding the right prosthetics provider matters. The relationship between a new or experienced amputee is a unique one. The loss of the limb can leave patients with a lot of questions and many times these questions are unanswered until the amputee meets their prosthetist.

Your physician can often times talk with you about the reasons why an amputation was necessary and you might begin the healing process in a hospital setting. However, many of the daily questions / answers need to come from a licensed prosthetist.

Common questions that asked to Rinella Orthotics & Prosthetics, Inc. by both new and experienced amputees :

1.) How can I best address the swelling that I have in my residual limb?

2.) Is there anything I can do about the tenderness I have in the residual limb?

3.) What do I do if there is space in the prosthetic socket that I am using?

4.) I am currently using a pin locking system, are there any other suspension systems available to prosthetic users today?

5.) Will my insurance cover a new prosthesis?

These are some of the most common questions that people ask us each week. Each of these questions very important and need to be addressed individually with a patient. While we would really like to answer each and every one of them for you specifically here in detail, there will be no perfect answer yet in some cases because we have not met you and understood your unique situation.

To help and try to answer the questions in general we would say that :

1.) The use of a residual limb shrinker will help to reduce swelling that a person has after an amputation. If you elevate the leg this may also help to reduce the swelling.

2.) While we want to give the exact answer on how to reduce tenderness in someone’s residual limb, this is a harder one to answer. We would try to understand why you have these tenderness, to start with. Sometimes, desensitization massage can help, but other times the issues run deeper.

3.) If there is space in your current prosthetic socket, you can try to use prosthetic socks to take up the space. However, you can not always just add more socks. At some point you will need a new prosthetic socket if the space is constantly there. Extra space could cause a lot of problems in the long run and we try to help people avoid issues by either fabricating a new socket or by reducing a void with a prosthetic sock.

4.) There are various types of suspension systems available to patients today. A pin locking system, a passive vacuum or an elevated vacuum style suspension all present various pros and cons for patients. Some are simple to apply and that is all a patient wants to get from A to B, while other suspension systems are more hands on and provide a fit that can make the socket feel more connected to the residual limb. – Find the best socket choice and prosthesis for you depends on many factors that our prosthetist can review with you.

5.) In order to know if a prosthesis or component of a prosthetic leg will be covered by insurance, we will need to contact your insurance. Everyone’s coverage type is unique and each plan is unique as well. We would need to verify insurance benefits when you come into our office for treatment to let you know your personal coverage levels.

Thanks so much for reading our blog! To continue the discuss give us a call at 815-717-8970